Home · Channel ID Finder

Free tool · No sign-up

YouTube Channel ID Finder

Paste a channel URL, @handle, or channel ID — or a link to any video from the channel — and get its channel ID instantly.

Works with channel links, @handles, channel IDs, and any video link — including Shorts and youtu.be.

Try:

Accepted: youtube.com/watch?v=… · youtu.be/… · /shorts/… · /embed/… · /live/… · music.youtube.com · @handles · /channel/UC… · legacy /c/… and /user/… links. Not affiliated with YouTube or Google.

What it accepts

Every way someone might hand you a channel.

Channel URLs

youtube.com/channel/UC… and youtube.com/@handle links, including subpages like /videos or /about.

@Handles & IDs

A bare @handle or a pasted 24-character UC… channel ID — the tool confirms which channel it belongs to.

Legacy custom URLs

Old-style youtube.com/c/Name and youtube.com/user/Name links still resolve to the current channel ID.

Video links — the differentiator

Any watch, youtu.be, Shorts, embed, or live link resolves to the channel that uploaded it. Most channel ID finders can't do this.

What is a YouTube channel ID?

Every YouTube channel has a permanent, unique 24-character identifier that starts with UC — for example UC1234567890abcdefghijkl. You can usually spot it in the channel's canonical URL: youtube.com/channel/UC….

Channel IDs matter because they are stable. Handles and custom URLs can be renamed by their owners at any time, but a channel ID never changes. That's why anything that needs to reference a channel reliably uses the ID:

  • YouTube Data API requests (channels and playlistItems calls take a channel ID, not a handle).
  • RSS feeds: youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC… gives you a channel's uploads without an API key.
  • Whitelisting tools like Unbinge that allow-list channels for kids, students, and focused viewing.

Channel ID vs. @handle vs. legacy custom URL

The @handle is the readable name in the channel's URL, like @NASA. A legacy custom URL is an older /c/Name or /user/Name path. Both can change. The channel ID is the permanent key underneath all of them — this finder resolves any of the three to the one true ID.

Frequently asked questions

Can I find a YouTube channel ID from a video link?
Yes. Paste any video link — a youtube.com/watch?v=… URL, a youtu.be short link, a Shorts, embed, or live link, or even just the 11-character video ID — and the tool resolves the channel that uploaded it and returns that channel's ID.
What is a YouTube channel ID?
A YouTube channel ID is a unique 24-character code that starts with UC, for example UC1234567890abcdefghijkl. YouTube assigns it to every channel, and unlike @handles or custom URLs it never changes — which is why APIs, RSS feeds, and whitelisting tools use it.
What's the difference between a channel ID and a handle?
A handle is the readable name in the channel's URL, like @NASA. Channel owners can change their handle and custom URL, but the channel ID stays the same. If you need a permanent reference to a channel, use the ID.
Is this channel ID finder free?
Yes — completely free, with no account or sign-up. It's maintained by Unbinge, a free YouTube whitelist extension for focused, distraction-free viewing.
Do you store my lookups?
No accounts are involved. The tool keeps a short-lived cache of resolved channel IDs so repeat lookups are instant, and applies anonymous rate limiting to protect the service. Lookups are never tied to you personally.

Put the channel ID to good use

Unbinge keeps YouTube to the channels you allow — for kids, students, or your own focus. Paste this channel into Unbinge in seconds.

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